The fire on Teletubbies Hill, Mount Bromo, ignited during a pre-wedding photoshoot, remains unextinguished, even five days after it began.
Reports on Monday, 11th September 2023, indicate that the fire continues to spread and has even reached the Ngadas Village area in the Poncokusumo District, Malang.
According to the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency, the forest fires on Mount Bromo, triggered by the pre-wedding incident, have consumed more than 200 hectares of land from Wednesday, 6th September to Sunday, 10th September.
A viral video on social media, X, shows that the fire on Mount Bromo is still forming a significant fire line, producing thick smoke. Additionally, a photo depicts black smoke behind the Bromo Hillside building or Café 360° in Ngadas Village, Poncokusumo.
Tornado api di gunung bromo semoga lekas padam #bromo #kebakaran #earth #mountain #gunungbromo pic.twitter.com/BYT1kNk7wG
— tonibanzai (@tonibanzai21) September 11, 2023
The Head of Administration for the Bromo Tengger Mount Semeru National Park, Septi Eka Wardhani, confirmed that the forest fire has spread to the Bromo Hillside area.
She mentioned that since the fire started on Wednesday, efforts to control it have been ongoing, involving various methods and a joint team supported by the National Armed Forces and Police, along with volunteers and local residents.
The Head of the Bromo Tengger Mount Semeru National Park, Hendro Wijanarko, confirmed that six fire points have been extinguished, leaving only one remaining.
“The one remaining fire spot is located on Mount Watangan. Therefore, we will ensure there is no longer any fire or smoke around the Mount Watangan area,” Wijanarko stated.
Regarding the firefighting efforts, Wijanarko mentioned that the Bromo Tengger Mount Semeru National Park has dispatched an additional team for further assistance. In addition to land-based efforts, attempts to extinguish the fire from the air using water-bombing helicopters have also been undertaken.